My Days at Eitoku
by Droobles92
Summary: Meet Kokome. Born in Hollywood, California to a very popular and well known actor Lawrence Clarence. But, after her fathers tragic death she moves with her mom to Japan only to befriend the famous F4. What does life have in store for her now?
1. Chapter 1

As I rode up to the Eitoku entrance on my bike, I felt slightly stupid. But the stupidity that I felt was overridden with uncontainable excitement as I inched closer and closer to the school I had longed to go to all my life. Reason one for feeling stupid, I was riding a bike next to the countless shimmering vehicles that probably cost more than my mother will ever make in her lifetime. Reason two, I was probably dragging my jaw across the floor as my eyes glanced from one car to the next, finally resting on the entrance. So close.  
"Nothing can ruin my day." I thought. Nothing. I exerted more force into the pedals and felt myself pick up speed, then I felt my front tire hit something in the rode, and before I could look down to see what it was, I was on the floor. I shooting pain started to pulse through my knee and I felt something warm starting to form under my palm, blood. My violin case I was carrying landed a few feet in front of me. The thought that it could possibly be broken made my eyes sting with preconceived tears.  
"Way to go Koko. Way to go." I grumbled to myself, trying to pick myself up. The cars continued to inch by, no one paying any notice to me. Then out of one, a girl wearing a collage uniform came bolting out of a car and came running up to me. "Are you ok?" She asked, worry weaved into every word she said. I tried to smile, but one side of my cheek felt like it was on fire. Following behind her, a man with curly black hair was on his cell phone.  
"DON'T ASK ME WHY! DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM? JUST GET THE SCHOOL PARAMEDICS DOWN HERE NOW!" He yelled into the phone, clearly ticked off. I felt bad that they had to go through the trouble of helping me, so with all my effort I pushed myself up, when I was half-way there I tried to say in a strong voice, "I'm fine, really."  
But as soon as I was fully erect, a searing pain shot through my knee and the world began to swim.

I woke up in what I suspected to be the schools' infirmary. I heard a couple voices as I came to consciousness.  
"She is cute."  
"Very."  
"I call dibbs"  
"Says who? I got here first Akira."  
"Doesn't matter I called it first."  
"Can you guys stop it? The poor girl is trying to rest. Follow what Rui is doing and be quite."  
"Where did Domyoji go?"  
"To find her school file. She didn't have any ID on her when she came."  
"I have never seen her here before."  
"The school is big. Just because you haven't seen her doesn't mean that she doesn't exist."  
"I would have remembered such a face"  
I felt my face grow hotter, and I forced my eyes slowly open. The world was still a little shaky, and I was a little confused, but I couldn't stand to lay there and take all the compliments. I would have lost consciousness again.  
The girl that had been there first to help me was sitting next to my bed.  
"Hi. I'm Makino Tsukushi, are you feeling better? You hit your head and knee when you fell, but it is nothing serious. You displaced you knee-cap and scraped your palm. There is also a small cut on your cheek, but you will be fine." She said with a nice smile.  
"Thank you." I said, looking at my bandaged right hand and feeling a splint on my right knee.  
"My name is Mimasaka Akira, but you can call me Akira-kun." Akira said, sitting on the edge of the bed.  
"My name is Nishikado Sojiro, but you can call me Sojiro-kun." He said, sitting on the other edge.  
Wow. The first day of school and boys were already sitting by my bedside, two very handsome boys at that, and a potential friend, Makino Tsukushi. These names, I felt as if I knew them. I grew frustrated trying to fish through my jumbled thoughts. Then suddenly bringing myself back to the present, remembering my manners I said,  
"Nice to meet you, I'm Clarence Kokomo. Thank you Tsukushi-san for taking me to the infirmary." I said, bowing my head.  
At that moment, Domyoji burst through the door, and I realized at that point that there was a crowd outside the room. Had they found out who I was? No, impossible…

I guess he hadn't seen that I was awake, because he started to read my profile out loud.  
"Name: Clarence Kokomo  
In her last year of high school  
Born in Hollywood, California to Nishimura Yuki and Clarence Lawr-" He was cut of as I started coughing as loud as I could.  
"Oh, the trouble maker is awake." He sighed, shutting the book and setting it on the bedside table.  
I looked at him with shock as he placed the book on the table.  
"Well, sorry for falling and getting hurt. Hope it didn't ruin your busy schedule." I said, crossing my arms and looking away from his direction.  
Makino laughed. Sojiro and Akira exchanged glances and smiled. But I didn't seem to take much notice to that. Everything seemed to get tuned out as my gaze met a man sitting in one of the waiting chairs. The smile on his face was…dazzling. He got up and made his way towards me.  
"I'm Hanazawa Rui. I hope you don't mind, but I checked your violin, it's not broken."  
I smiled and managed to choke out a word of thanks.  
"Sorry about Domyoji, Kokome-san. My fiancé has the tendency to say whatever is on his mind without censoring it first." She said, shooting him a, are-you-trying-to-scare-her-away, look. Domyoji opened his mouth to object, but I interjected.  
"It's fine. I have a friend just like him back at home." I chuckled, remembering Theodore, my best friend.  
At that moment, my foggy memory cleared, and I remembered everything. Domyoji…Akira…Rui…Sojiro.. F4. And Makino, the girl I started to admire when I was told the famous story of how she had stolen the heart of Domyoji. And Rui… the one I longed to meet the most.  
I allowed my eyes to look over him for a second, and my heart began to beat faster.

To be Continued. Tell me what you think. ^.^

Should I continue it?


	2. Chapter 2

This was not exactly how I planned to spend my first day at Eitoku, but this is how it turned out so I just will have to make the best of it. For the most part, the infirmaries bed sheets are really soft. My eyes lazily gazed at the clock on the wall. 12:00. My ears patiently listened for the chiming of the sweet bells and were greeted promptly by them. The sound filled the empty room, making me feel as though I had some company. Makino and the F4 had to leave for classes, but Makino promised she would give me a ride home. My spirits flew at the thought and in my excitement I threw the covers off of me and swung my feet over the side of the bed. My knee still throbbed a bit, but after testing my weight on it I found I was able to stand. It was lunch time, but my bento had become an unappetizing mess when I fell.

_"Oh well"_ I thought. _"Not having a little lunch won't kill you."_

My eyes fell on my violin case and my fingers started to tingle. Now, I know this may sound strange, but it is like my fingers have a mind of their own whenever they touch the smooth wood of the violin. They express my feelings from the very deepest crevice of my heart; they find a way to explain how I feel when my mouth fails to make the words. Whenever I am in the best or most melancholy of moods, through this music I find the best way of expressing myself. Whenever I am overwhelmed with any emotion, my fingers just start to…tingle, they demand the violin.

As I slowly made my way over to the case, my fingers already started to play a sweet, happy tune. I carefully took it out of its case and made my way over to the balcony. The suns warm rays regenerated me as I placed the violin under my chin. I then allowed all my emotion to flow out of my arm, into my fingers, and onto the violin which filled my mind and body with a sweet familiar sound. I allowed my sore body to move with the music and then, feeling content with what I played I lowered from my chin and sighed.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of someone clapping coming from the right side of me. Looking over I saw Rui, standing on the landing of the staircase outside. The sun danced beautifully on his light colored hair and his eyes seemed to be smiling.

"That was beautiful." He said, leaning on the balcony rail, resting his head on the palm of his hand.

"T-thanks." I said, trying not to trip over my words. I had to be the clumsiest person in the entire world. I seemed to always trip over things that weren't there and fall going up the stairs. I could rehearse what I was going to say to someone hours in advance in front of the mirror but when the time came to actually say it, I seemed to forget everything I had practiced and stutter. It is kind of pathetic being that my dad was a famous actor who, even when he had no idea what to say, could put together sentences so lucidly that anyone would believe what he was saying.

Last spring he was in a terrible motorcycle accident. I never got to say goodbye to him. Living in the big empty house in California became unbearable. Every corner that I turned I expected to see his smiling face, hear his goofy laugh, smell the sweet scent of his cherry cigars. My mom decided to move back home for a bit. My dad had many different enterprises, food companies and he was well known for his charity relief aids in Africa. Coming back to my mother's native country is just what we needed, away from the press and cameras. I truly hated it. Living in the nice small apartment my mom is renting is very comfortable. My mom decided to work instead of laze around the house with nothing to do, just living of the millions my father has made. She is a hard worker, and if she isn't doing something, she easily gets bored.

"Have you eaten yet?" He asked, "I have plenty of food, if you are hungry that is."

Trying to be polite I responded, "No, thank you. I already-" Right then my stomach growled so loud and gave me away; I thought the whole campus heard it. I smiled nervously, half wishing pound on my stomach to make it shut-up, half wanting to run away from him in embarrassment. Stupid organs.

He chuckled a bit, making me want to die on the spot, then leaned over and brought up a bento box.

"I have plenty. My grandma came in from Hong Kong this weekend and insists on stuffing all kinds of her hand-made food down my throat. I swear, that old lady just won't slow down in her old age." He said like he was trying to coax a cat from underneath a car with milk.

"I don't need that much persuading, I am not a cat. I'll come" I said, turning around before he could see my face starting to flush bright red. I speedily walked into the room and slid the glass door shut and fell face first into the bed.

_"Why did I say that? I'm am idiot. A really stupid idiot. Cat? COME ON. Who the hell would accuse him of trying to coax me like a cat?"_ I thought, pushing myself up and putting the violin back into its' case before it became a victim of my frustration. I walked into the bathroom and examined myself in the mirror. Ew. Not helping much. I tried to make my long, light brown wavy hair somewhat presentable. Not helping. It seemed to look more like a crows nest the more I tried to fix it. It looked fine this morning, but I had to go fall off of my bike. Yay me. Plus there was a band aid…on my face. T.T. My blue eyes seemed to be the only thing that looked presentable. I turned away from the mirror and took in a deep breath.

"Stop making a mountain out of an anthill. Just talk to him. Let him get to know you." I whispered, trying to calm myself.

"Let who get to know you?" A voice said, making me jump at least 5 feet into the air. I slowly turned around to see Rui standing in the doorframe of the bathroom. I gulped.

"What are you doing in here." I blurted, my hand flying to tuck a piece of fly away hair behind my ear.

"I heard your voice coming from in here and the door was open so I came in."

"When you hear a voice coming from a bathroom you just decide to let yourself in?"

"I suppose so." He shrugged, holding out the bento box in front of him. "I know you're hungry."

I swiveled on my heels to face the sink just to advert my gaze from his from a bit.

"I hate to think of the poor people you have walked in on when they were using the bathroom." I said quietly.

"hmm?" He said, taking out a pair of wooden chopsticks.

"Nothing" I said quickly, turning to face him again, trying not to stare at his perfect face to long. I would either loose my footing or drool. I didn't really want to do either.

Just then the nurse came in and stopped short as she looked into the bathroom.

"Um, the bathroom is not the ideal place to eat lunch kids." She said with a bewildered look on her face.

My eyes widened then looked down to the floor in embarrassment. Rui laughed.

"You really are cute." He said, putting the chopsticks back into the box.

"Just like a cat. I think I will call you Aiko."

Aiko. I didn't exactly know what it meant, but I knew it was a pet name. Great. This was a really fun first impression. Anyone have a shovel? I think I will start digging my grave now.

**This was the second chapter. Please tell me what you think. If I don't get reviews, what is the point of using my time to finish it?**

**HAHA, bathroom scene, I don't remember if it was in the mange, But does anyone remember a certain scene like this from the Japanese live Drama?**

**hmmm...**

**XD**


	3. Chapter 3

The nurse dismissed me so I could make it to my last class. The teacher did not really teach much because it was the first day. He just went over procedures and the class layout for the semester. I was grateful for that because I could not concentrate at all. Rui was the only thing I found I could think about.

I tried to concentrate on the teacher. _Oh, he is wearing the same colored shirt as Rui, a nice creamy off-white shirt which complimented Rui's perfect, soft looking skin._

I tried to concentrate on the board. The ___plaque on the side of the board said, "Classroom donated by the _Hanazawa family." _Rui's family is so generous._

Things as simple as my pencil invited thoughts of Rui to invade my mind. Although I was kind of embarrassed about what had happened before, I just wanted to see him again. I wanted to see his smile. I wanted him to smile at me. The bell finally rang and I sprung out of my seat and was the first one out the door. As soon as I was walking down the halls I realized that neither Makino nor Rui knew where I was. How was Makino going to give me a ride home? How was I going to see Rui again? I turned around to head back to the nurses office, thinking they would think I was there. I was going against traffic trying to weave my way through the massive amount of students who were trying to make their way out. I bumped into someone.

"I'm sorry" I said, quickly bowing. I started to walk forward again but the person grabbed my arm. I quickly turned around to see Akira standing there.

"Well, if it isn't the fallen princess. How do you feel?" he asked, looking down at my bandaged knee.

"Better, much better." I said, putting the violin case I was holding over my knee to obscure his gaze.

"You are a tough one aren't you?" he said chuckling, "Most girls I know would immediately start clinging to me, asking me to help them out the door and into their cars." He finished, running one of his hands idly through his hair. I smiled.

"Well, you are the famous Akira after all."

"Famous," he snorted, "It isn't always that much fun you know."

"I can imagine, having people follow you and long to meet you for all the wrong reasons. It is hard to know who to trust."

"Exactly" he said with a surprised look on his face, "But the worst of these people are the young ones. They try too hard, like obsessed teenage girls over a pop-star. That is why I prefer older women. They are at least calmer and more sophisticated."

"But if they are calmer, don't you think their ways of getting your attention would be trickier and more deceitful?"

What I said seemed to catch him off guard and he looked at the floor as he dissected my sentence, his brows furrowed in thought. He then looked up at me with honest eyes and smiled,

"I suppose you are right," he said, then a familiar look flooded his face and he said in his familiar Akira tone, "But the company sure is nice." He said, winking at me.

I laughed and then remembered I still had to find Makino. Maybe Akira would know where they are.

"Do you know where Makino is?"

"She usually waits at the school entrance for Domyoji."

"Thanks. I will talk to you later!" I said, turning around to exit the building, this time going with the traffic.

"I'll go with you" He said, following at my side.

"Erm, thanks. I think I will be ok though."

"You never know you could fall down the stairs and cut that pretty face of yours again"

I laughed, and made a mental note not to pay much attention to his player remarks of me being beautiful and such, but to weed through those remarks and try to find what he truly was feeling.

As we came to the stairs, I deliberately went down them so slowly to emphasize the fact that a toddler could make it down them without any problem. Akira stood at the bottom and chuckled, shaking his head. Makino was waiting on a bench nearby with Domyoji, Sojiro, and to my hearts content, Rui. I felt a stupid grin starting to form on my face and immediately tried to make it look normal and less goofy. As I lifted my arm up to wave, I tripped a bit and Akira grabbed my arm to steady myself.

"Leave it to Kokomo to trip over something and fall of her bike all in the same day." Akira laughed, making Rui and Sojiro laugh as well.

"Should we go?" Makino asked, smiling.

"Yeah, we should. This cripple has been holding us up long enough." Domyoji said making his way toward the car.

Makino hit him in the back of the head and they started to yell at each other.

All the way home they were at it. Although, it was less of arguing and more of a playful bicker back and forth. It was kind of cute, in a way.

We arrived at my apartment complex all too soon and to my surprise everyone came out of the car.

"Well here we are…this is where you live right?" Domyoji demanded, although I could hear through his up-front tone.

"Yes, thank you for the ride." I smiled, trying not to laugh.

"Look at her, smiling like a fool, another poor pauper."

The irony made me laugh out loud this time.

Makino let go of Domyoji's hand and stood by me.

"And what's wrong with paupers? For all I know you are going to be marrying one."

"Hey!" Domyoji said with his familiar, I-know-she-is-right-but-I-don't-want-to-admit-it, face. He was silent for a moment as he thought up something fight back with.

"I-" he began, but couldn't think of anything else to say. He got the cutest look of defeat on his face then quickly turned around and just before he slid into the limo said,

"Hurry up before you get a poor-person's disease and die. If you think I will pay the hospital bill to save you, you're wrong!" He retorted, slamming the door.

The F4 and Makino laughed.

"Well, I better go before he has another one of his fits. But it was really nice meeting you Koko. I hope we can become good friends." Makino said making her way towards the limo. Before she slid in she said, "Someone has to help me stand up to these spoiled guys!"

I laughed and said loudly after she closed the door, "You got yourself an accomplice then!"


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys! I am sorry I took so long to update, school has been consuming so much of my life. This chapter is pretty short, sorry about that. I decided I could not let another day go by without updating something. In the next chapter a lot of things will be explained, sorry it is taking so long for the beginning to fold out. Please tell me whether you enjoyed it or not! I forgot that I was writing the story in 1st person perspective and after realizing my mistake after writing so much I decided not to change it. If you like this 3rd person format better than tell me and I will continue writing it this way. Any whoo, if you check my blog I will update you on what is going on and when I will be able to update stuff. I did not forget, my life is just crazy now. XD .com/

ok I hope you enjoy it!!!

- Ele

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Koko pulled her bed-sheets up to her nose and closed her eyes. The soft light of the moon was delicately painted on the wall of her bedroom. It swayed and danced as her curtains moved in the night breeze. She couldn't fall asleep, she just squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself to fall into unconsciousness. She gave up with a frustrated sigh and flung the blankets off herself with one, fluid swing of her arm. She ambled into the kitchen and groaned as she saw the clock read 6:00 a.m. Making a quick cup of tea, she paused as she looked at the fine china cup.

When Rui got out of the car to walk Koko inside her apartment, the other two insisted in coming as well. The first thing Sojiro saw when he walked her up to her apartment with Rui and Akira was the traditional tea ceremony kit tucked into her kitchen corner. He then politely asked to look at the rest of her tea cups which were in a glass case in her living room. Koko's great grandmother was a tea-fanatic who collected tea articles from around the world. She had ancient cups from China's country side to the delicate china Elizabeth I had graced her lips upon. As a little girl visiting in Japan, she remembered spending most of her time plastered to the glass case, ogling over the cups as her grandmother recounted her travels and adventures.

Her lips curved into a smile as she remembered Sojiro's pride as a playboy and member of the F-4 dissolve as he too stared with admiration at her fine collection. Rui without asking had walked into her bedroom and with a glint of joy in his eyes examined her favorite, fine white violin. It was a gift from her father from France. The thought of him brought a lump to her throat and she quickly swallowed the hot tea to loosen the growing knot. Her eyes watered as the scalding hot tea seared down her throat. She squeezed her eyes shut and willed herself not to think about him. Slowly opening her eyes after a couple seconds, she was grateful that before the guys came in she had hid all his awards and pictures from plain view in the house. One glance at them right now would throw her into a state of uneasiness and melancholy. Pulling her thoughts away from her father and back to yesterday's events, her fingers nervously circled the brim of her cup as she thought of Akira. He had sat down at the table and complimented Koko many times on how graceful she was. She tried not to turn as red and tomato and simply shrug it off, stating how she had been dancing ballet since a very young age. They ended up staying for about an hour, talking about whatever came to mind and drinking tea she prepared for them.

Koko stared blankly at the sink deep in her thoughts and winced as she moved her swollen tongue over her lips. She decided while she was awake she might as well wash the cups they had used earlier. After that she sat down at the kitchen counter with her head in her arms, she felt tired now. The sound of a car door slamming shut outside seemed to weave itself into the soothing background noises as her eyes grew heavier. The hum of the refrigerator, the soft ticking of the clock that could only be heard it seemed in the dead of night, the light clicking of curtain beads as they hit against each other in the wind...

Suddenly, her head flew up from the counter and she stumbled backwards as all the blood rushed from her head. Down the hall someone was yelling at the top of their lungs,

"HENTAI HENTAI !! SOMEONE HELP MEEE!"

Then a familiar voice flooded her drowsy mind,

"Kokomo, what is wrong with you? Why are you trying to push me away?"

She stumbled toward the front door hauling it open. Looking down the hall there was Ms. Narita struggling to get out of the embrace of a handsome, lean tall man. Koko's eyes grew wide and her lips began to tremble. A pressure began to build in her chest until the point where it was unbearable. She released it and laughter filled the hallway. In between gasps of air she managed to yell,

"Teddy, I'm over here you idiot."


	5. Chapter 5

This is really short, hope you like it! ^^

I was originally going to make Ted gay, but it didn't work out that way.

I PROMISE a long chapter next time. School is so busy now.

REVIEWS PLEASEEE!!!!

~Ele

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I bit my lip begging myself not to start laughing as I put ice in a plastic baggy. Teddy sat with his knees to his chest, rubbing his head and muttering something about how it was a sin to hit a models face. I placed the bag delicately on his glossy straight black hair and in response he leaned into my arm. I played with a strand absentmindedly. I had always been jealous of his hair. It was perfectly straight and could be styled anyway. It framed his handsomely pale face perfectly and accentuated his unique, piercing gray eyes. That is probably the reason why he is so successful at modeling. His eyes are so emotive; they can express how he is feeling without him moving any other pat of his face. There were times when he was serious when he would stare directly into my own and it felt as though he was tearing through my very being and looking into my soul. That may sound a bit corny, but if anyone ever experienced it they could do nothing but agree with that.

Ted grabbed the bag trapping my hand underneath his and spun around on the kitchen stool.

"On a scale from one to five, how bad is it?" He said in his melodic voice. For someone who was so tall, you expected him to have a husky voice. Teddy's voice was light and had a certain ring to it.

"Erm-" I cleared my throat. "Three, I guess"

I turned around and couldn't help it anymore. I the bubbles out laughter fought their way out of my mouth. I then felt two strong arms grip me from behind and lift me up as if I was as light as a feather.

"H-hey," I gasped between laughter, "put me down."

He tightened his grip.

I playfully hit his back with my fists.

"Let me down you ogre!"

"Ogre?" He questioned, opening the door to my bedroom.

"Come on, like Princess Fiona and the ogre from Shrek. Just play along, gosh."

"Oh, uhm- rawr?"

"It is more like a: GRR!"

"Oh, GRR?"

He tossed me gently into my bed, pinning my arms down.

"Never mind, you're a hopeless case." I sighed, looking up and cracking a smile at the growing bump on the side of his temple.

"Laughing again at me?" He leaned his body down on top of mine until our bodies were perfectly aligned. I felt myself starting to blush as I felt his defined lean muscle through his shirt. I looked away from his face.

"Who else would I be laughing at? You're the only one with a tennis ball shaped lump swelling out of your head."

With that one hand flew to the side of his forehead and he winced as he felt the lump.

"A wound I gladly took coming rescue the pretty Fiona from her tower."

"Who said I needed rescuing? A second ago you didn't' even remember who Shrek was …"

He brought his hands to the sides of my stomach.

"Apologize" He said with a sparkle of laughter in his eyes.

"For what?" I tried to wiggle out of his grip, but he held me there.

Then he did it. He started to tickle me. I am possibly the most ticklish person in the world. If someone touched my arm a certain way I would probably start laughing and push them away. The tickling fight suddenly turned into a wild goose chase around the apartment. Comforters were ripped off the beds and cushions flung from the couch. Getting tired I flung a cup of orange juice onto him, drenching his shirt and I grabbed his cell phone.

"What the-" He laughed and flung the sticky shirt off.

"Ew, put your shirt back on." I said trying not to stare at the perfection of his body.

"Ew? Well if you think it is an unfair advantage then take off yours" He smirked inching closer to me, his eyes locked onto his phone.

"No way, my neighbor was right, hentai."

He gave me a bewildered look then tried to grab the phone from my hand. We fell tumbling to the floor. Teddy's body was sticky from the juice. The feeling was gross against my bare arms.

"Teddy get off and go take a shower."

He continued to fight for his phone.

"Ted…OFF!"

I tried to push his sticky body away from mine but it was like pushing against a wall.

"THEODORE GET OFF ME NOW!"

Then Teddy was lifted off me and to my utter disbelief Rui brought his fist down across his face. Domyoji and Makino stood in the doorframe looking at him in disbelief as well. It was like the quiet kid who usually just sat in the corner decided to throw himself into a fight. I jumped up and grabbed his fist to stop him from hitting Ted again. His face was hot with anger and his fist was shaking.

"It's alright. I know him."

Rui gave me a perplexed look and his eyes darted around the room.

"It looks like a tornado tore through here."

I looked around. There were cushions, Ted's t-shirt and other miscellaneous objects flung around the room. I raised my hand to my hair and found it was a massive wavy blob and that I was wearing a baggy jersey and shorts. I gulped.


	6. Chapter 6

At times I really had to question how old Ted was. One time in the 8th grade he bravely confronted a kid who was following me around, claiming we were meant to be together and get married. Now, as I passed tea out to everyone his fists were clenched and firmly resting against his legs. He glared at Rui from across the table. The air felt heavy with tension. Like all the unspoken nasty things they wanted to say to each other were polluting the air.

"I'm going to-"

"No, you're staying right here." Teddy's voice sounded so serious it caught me off guard.

"I'm going to change."

Teddy quickly grabbed my hand. I felt him loosen his grip and just clasp onto it delicately, as if he was begging me to stay. I smiled. He could always show what he wanted without actually saying it.

" I'll be late if I don't change now. I will be back in a second."

"Fine, I'll help you if you want." Teddy turned around, a sly smile set into his face. I snapped my hand out of his as if it were on fire. I knew he was acting like this just because Rui was here. I hadn't been able to look him in the face after what just happened ago. I think I would die from shame, although it was he who punched Ted first.

"Where are you going?" Rui looked up from his tea, his face was still flushed a bright red. He totally avoided Ted's piercing gaze and ignored his rude comment.

"Ballet lessons, then I have to teach a violin lesson."

I threw a plain blue dress to cover my tights and leotard, bunching my hair into a bun and containing it with bobby pins. My eyes began to take on a blue-ish tint from the dress, and I quickly made my way out the bedroom door, grabbing my violin case. Makino and Domyoji were standing at the door. Domyoji had a big smile on his face, like a kid who just received an ice cream cone. I scowled at him as I quickly began picking up the plates.

"Teddy, you should go."

"But I don't have anywhere to go…"

"What do you mean you don't have anywhere to go…" I spun around, restraining myself from throwing the plates at him.

"Well, my manager booked me a hotel for yesterday until I leave, but an earlier flight became available…"

"You can't stay here."

"Come on Koko! Think of all the sleepovers we had as kids! Besides Cindy booked the photo shoot here because she wants you in it!! You haven't modeled since the accident happened. It's been months!!"

"Ted, please be quiet. "

My eyes started to sting and I felt tears begin to fall down my face. No, he was going to reveal who I was, the daughter of world renowned actor and activist Clarence Lawrence. They would find out I am a well known model and actress at home. No, Japan was a fresh start. No more paparazzi pushing your friends aside as you walk on the streets to get a shot at you. No more body guards, the constant anxiety that people will swarm you. Here I would be able to find a boyfriend who didn't like me just for my name and my profession. I could pursue Rui, who possibly maybe liked me too. If they ever found out who I really was, they might think I was using them to move forward in the industry. I just wanted to get to know them, make friends.

Rui took the plates out of my hands and began to wash them. Ted silently got up and left the room without a word. I didn't care if he was mad. If doing this stupid shoot will keep him quiet forever, I'll do it.

Helping Rui wash the dishes, he gently put his hand on top of mine. He looked down at me with tender eyes that instantly made all my brain activity stop. Looking up into his brown eyes, there was a hint of uncertainty that I knew was making him feel vulnerable. I threw my arms around him, locking them around his waist. I felt his body go rigid, then slowly he leaned into me and held me gingerly.

"_Just Rui, he is all I want."_ Standing there in his arms was all the confirmation I needed.

_Kokomo Clarence. It's just a name. _

_No one will find out who my father is._

_To not tell is no big lie._

_I said I would put that life behind me, so why tell them about my past? _

As Domyoji started to clear his throat impatiently, saying how we would have to pay for the gas the limo was burning sitting outside for us, I couldn't help but think I was just trying to convince myself.


	7. Chapter 7

First of all, I want to say thank you for still reading!!! You have no idea how much I love writing, and the fact that people read it and like it makes me really bubbly. Please write reviews!!! I enjoy getting feed-back, when no one reviews anything, I feel like maybe I am doing something wrong and people are loosing interest. Sorry this took so long to update. I did this kind of hastily, so sorry it isn't as polished as it should be. I will try to put out another chapter this Friday, because I already know what I want to write. :] Thanks a lot!

~Ele

Rui stayed to watch my ballet lesson. Before this morning, my feet would have been clumsy under his gaze. But I felt secure, reassured, as I glanced into the mirrors and met the soft gaze of his dark brown eyes.

****

The car ride over to the Ballet Conservatory was, at first, awkwardly silent. Makino's gaze was that of concern, and at first she tried to prod answers out of me.

"Who was that boy?"

"A family friend"

'What does he do? I could have sworn I have seen his face before."

"He models…here and there."

"Why is he here?"

"I'm really not sure, he came last night."

"He said he had nowhere else to go, was it alright to let him go like that? Will he be ok?"

"He will figure something out" I squeezed Rui's hand, wanting to do nothing more than assure him I didn't have those types of feeling for Teddy.

Makino gave an understanding nod. Domyoji, on the other hand, seemed to be thoroughly amused. A sly smile was plastered to his face as he leaned his head on Makino's shoulder.

****

Rui wrapped his hand around mine as I stepped out of the Ballet room and kissed me on the forehead. The blood rushed to my cheeks, and my body went limp. I hardly knew him, yet I wished he would drag me off to some private place and let him have his way with me. My sanguine complexion probably became more apparent at the shame I felt for my minds wanderings. I never thought Rui would be the type of person to display public affection, and I never thought I would feel such a swell of emotion threaten to fight its way out of my chest.

I guess we learn something new everyday.

Goose pimples prickled my skin as he leaned closer to me, his lips brushing near my ear.

"You have quite the fan club here." He chuckled softly, and I almost whimpered as I felt his breath on my neck.

Suddenly the realization of his words cut through my muddled thoughts and I pulled myself away from him.

"What?" I searched his face in disbelief. His salacious gaze softened and he bowed his head, the tips of his ears turning red.

"Gomen nasai. I should not have done that." His voice was full of genuine surprise, like he caught himself off guard. I didn't know what I should do. Did he find out I was famous? Why did he say that?

"It's-It's just other men out here were _very_ fond of you, and didn't suppress their thoughts and…" He trailed off, looking more and more adorable as he tried to make the right words come out. I couldn't help but laugh and began to feel a warmth that seemed to intensify whenever I was in the presence of Rui. Caught in the moment, I lifted myself onto the tips of my point shoes, wrapped my arms around his neck, and softly pressed my lips against his. His lips were non responsive at first, like he was in shock, but I slowly felt his lean, but strong arms conform to my body and his lips tenderly move in sync with mine.

I slowly pulled away from the kiss and rested my forehead against his.

"Hey," he said, his voice was deep and laced with desire I could almost feel, "Come back here."

My heart seemed to double in size as his lips eagerly reached out to kiss me again.

"My feet hurt" _You make my body feel like Jell-O as it is._

He lifted me off my feet and I laughed as he said with mock concern,

"Well we wouldn't want the dancer to hurt her feet now would we?"

We decided to walk to brunch. Rui's driver was out sick and we both decided not to bother Makino and Domyoji asking them for a ride. The weather was pleasant and walking hand in hand with him was serene.

"I'm sorry for what I did." He suddenly said, breaking the peaceful silence.

"You don't have to be sorry; you were trying to protect me. And Teddy is an idiot." I shrugged off the thought of Teddy and leaned onto his shoulder reassuringly.

He looked over at me in confusion. "Ted…" he looked down at the side walk in thought. His head shot up and said callously, "Oh, him."

His tone softened and he shook his head, "I wasn't talking about that. Although I-"

He stopped walking. "Actually, I am not sorry for that. He was being really immature and could have hurt you playing around like that."

I felt torn between agreeing with him, and defending the stupid fool when he continued his thought,

"I was talking about earlier at the dance studio," He stopped and looked at me straight on, "I acted brashly, and I didn't mean to come onto you like that. It's just…" He looked up at the Sakura blooms of the trees we were standing under, and then looked at me.

"I have always fallen in love and never received a happy ending. In my first love I expected too much of a woman who longed for independence. My second love blossomed too late. But with you-" he paused and tucked a stand of hair that had escaped my bun behind my ear, "with you Aiko, I feel a sensation I have never felt before. I know I haven't known you for a long, but I feel positive this will have a different ending."

"I mean… what am I even saying?" He shook his head and laughed, glancing up at the flowers again.

I hugged him, pulling him close to me.

"You're saying something that makes me incredibly happy. That is what you are saying."

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